Through A Tainted Looking Glass
by ILurkNoMoar
Summary: One must be careful when looking into the reflection of a tainted mirror; for it will reveal the darkest aspects of your soul and if your gaze lingers too long, you may become what it reflects.


**DISCLAIMER:** Fate/Stay Night, and all related characters and concepts are the creation and property of Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon. Dragon Age: Origins, and all related characters and concepts are the creation and property of Bioware, as well as anyone who currently owns the presiding copyrights. I own none of the source material and the creators are free to use any concepts or ideas presented in this work. Please enjoy.

This is my first crack at a crossover and fanfiction in general is constructive criticism would be very helpful to help me find and refine my style. Also much thanks to Yog and Santo for assisting me edit and plan this crossover.

Prologue

A pair of lithe figures darted silently through the underbrush of the Brecilian Forest; a life time of navigating such places had left them as quiet and deadly as the many natural dangers that resided within its branches. The hunters were on the tail of a stag that they had been stalking the better part of the afternoon and wanted to finish this outing to return to camp, as their supply of rations was nearly exhausted. Perhaps it was just bad luck, but this part to the forest had seemed curiously absent of prey of late.

However, they had finally caught up to their mark; Mahariel gestured to Tamlen to pause and drew her bow. She notched the worn arrow's end on the well oiled string, drew back to her cheek, and took aim. Everything around her seemed to come to a standstill as she emptied her mind, becoming one with the weapon. Her heart raced with excitement, then stilled as her concentration reached it's peak. At that moment of absolute serenity, she released the string. The arrow flew true but a loud snap from a nearby branch startled it, causing the projectile to fly into the tree behind it. Being of enough intelligence to realize how screwed it was if it stayed, made the wise decision to flee like a shem peasant from an angry Sylvan ; leaving one amused and one mortified hunter in its wake.

"Ah Lethallan." Tamlen said mirthfully. "I see your skills with a bow have rusted while you boasted of them."

"Shut. up. Tamlen," Lyna ground out with a tone that demanded to be obeyed, as her cheeks started to color a bright red.

"It would seem my da'assan's reign over the bor'assan is no more; hahren Paivel will be so disappointed to hear his finest bow was in the hands of one who can't even fell a deer."

"Emma vhenan, ma'arlath; but should you even speak of this, you will be sleeping outside our aravel until you freeze."

"As if no one would take me in for the night."

"I guarantee, no one will; now we **are** going to see what spooked my prey." She muttered ominously then disappearing into the forest in search of something to blame.

"Very well, da'assan " Tamlen said as he followed his irritable lover in search of an excuse for her missed shot.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the source of the disturbance that spooked the deer and much to Tamlen's surprise they found the trail of what appeared to be three humans. Deciding that these intruders were far too close to their camp for comfort, they quickly followed the trail to a crossroads to lay in wait for the humans on their return journey from where ever they had gone off to. It didn't take long for the ones responsible for Lyna's ire to fall into the trap set by the Dalish hunters.

From their position on a small cliff face Tamlen and Lyna were able to see the entire clearing that made up the crossroads while remaining concealed. They waited for the humans to enter the center of the clearing so they would have the best angle to strike down the travelers should they have to, but were far enough away that their targets couldn't respond with aggression. They notched their arrows and drew back, then loosed the projectiles stopping the other party in their tracks. Tamlen was the first to step out and speak.

"Well what do we have here; a group of bandits perhaps? Attacking your fellow Shemlen and looting their corpses, your kind may even thank us for killing you."

"It's the Dalish!" said a burly fellow in a dirty gray shirt with a copper colored beard .

"And you're somewhere you don't belong Shem," said Lyna, as she appeared from behind Tamlen.

"You've no right the stop us elf; we haven't done nothing to you." retorted the second human.

"Nothing you say, if not for your ancestors we would still have a homeland," said Tamlen, "What should we do with them Lethallan?"

"Kill them, now that they know we're here we'll have to move the camp again; it will give us some extra time to prepare. Keeper Marethari is not going to be pleased, but let's find out what they were here for first." Lyna whispered to Tamlen.

"An excellent idea! Tell me Shem, what were you doing before you meet us?"

"Why should we tell you knife-ears." An arrow past his head was Lyna's response.

"T-There were ruins. With treasure inside them. W-we thought we could find some and sell what we found for some extra silvers."

"Ha! So you rob the dead instead of the living." Lyna laughed then became more serious. "We've been hunting these forests for years and found no such ruins, you lie shem."

"But we have proof, here look at this. I found it near the entrance." The villager then throw a small stone artifact to Tamlen's feet, hoping it would be enough to appease the Dalish elf. Tamlen picked up the trinket carefully, studying it to confirm the humans story. What he found startled him greatly as he showed it to Lyna.

"I think these markings are elvish, written elvish! We have to see these ruins, the keeper will be excited but we should see what's there first. Human where are these ruins?"

"T-They were from were we just came from, the west." replied one of the terrified villagers.

"And why didn't you do further in?" Demanded Lyna

"There was a demon! Thank the Maker we were able to out run it, or who knows what would have happened. We could have died!" said one of the unlucky party.

"Instead we're being threatened by the Dalish; this isn't an improvement, you idiot." replied another.

"Very well, now go and don't return until we've moved on. You're lucky you had something of value shem or you'd be dead by now." Tamlen said as he turned to leave and go in search of these ruins that the humans spoke of. He gestured for Lyna to follow, but she refused to follow until one last dispute had been put to rest.

"Which of you humans stepped on the branch?"

"What are you talking about elf, why does that matter?"

"That branch spooked the stag I was hunting; now tell me. Who. Snapped. The branch?" Lyna said with her frustration raising, these shems couldn't even answer a simple question.

"We don't know what does it matter?"

"I bet it was you," she accused; taking aim with her bow, "The fat one."

"NO! It wasn't me; it was him, he did it!" The roundest of the trio said, pointing at his companion to the left.

"I owe one of you an arrow, now who will it be?" Lyna seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much. "I know, we can shoot all three of you! That would be fun, right Tamlen~." Her companion was greatly conflicted at this moment; as much as he would love to indulge in a bit of revenge for his people, they did have better things to do right now. So he decided to compromise for the good of their schedule.

"I want to get to these ruins and look around before it gets dark Lyna; just take their coin purses and be done with it." sighed Tamlen, wasn't she supposed to be the voice of reason here; but make her miss once and her goes off her rocker. By the Dread Wolf, he didn't know why he fell for her sometimes.

"I was just joking Tamlen, scaring the shemlen a little. You do it all the time." Lyna said with good humor. After relieving the humans of their gold they were off to the ruins.

After a short journey to reach the ruins the humans had informed them of Tamlen and Lyna came upon a fissure that was well hidden by the low hanging branches of a nearby grove of trees. The collapsed remains of a handful of columned archways were the only indication that the sinkhole might be concealing within its depths. To say the duo was disappointed would have been an understatement.

"It's. a hole... I was expecting something a bit more... Impressive." she thought, it was hardly surprising; it had been over two Millenia since the loss of their first home and these ruins were no where near the former territory of the Dales. To expect the gilded stone spires and amphitheaters of ivory quartz woven between forests of ironbark trees told of in the legends was unrealistic.

"You were expecting something else?"

"No, not really but we should should return to camp and tell the keeper about them before we go any further."

Come on where's your sense of adventure? These ruins could date back to the times of Elvhenan for all we know, it would be a crime not to look around. What's the worse that could happen?"

"I doubt our ancestors lived in caves Tamlen." Lyna replied rolling her emerald eyes.

"You can never be too sure, but the Keeper would throw a fit if it were true." grinned Tamlen

"And maybe we're descended from Durgen'len" She snarked, heavily resisting the urge to rest her face in her hands.

"You always were a bit on the short side; can you grow a beard too?"

"Tamlen." Lyna said in warning.

"But, they would go so well with the braids in your hair. I'm sure you'd have a harem of lovely dwarven girls waiting on your every whim, blushing and giggling whenever you graced them with a stolen glance a moment too long."

"Which means I have more options than just you Lethallin."

"Oh come now Vhenan'ara, there's no need to play coy. I know you love it when we **cross tongues**~ A clash of wits fighting for verbal **dominance;** my words **spearing** you in places that-"

Their suggestive banter was cut off by a mysterious hulking figure that surged toward them as they approached the entrance of the cavern. It was a massive beast, half again as large as an ordinary bear, with numerous spikes protruding from its body. The smell of rotting flesh hung off it like the shredded remains of what appeared to be its pelt, if anything could have been the demon that the villagers spoke of then this was surely it. But, the thought that there could be something even worse than this monster waiting for them chilled their very bones.

"What in the gods names is that?" Tamlen said in disbelief as his hand instinctively reached for his bow.

The beast noticed Tamlen's motion and let out a mighty bellow; as if challenging him to charge at it. When it was met with no response it charged at them. For something as large as it was it moved with surprising speed, closing a quarter of the distance between them in a heartbeat. Not wanting to be mauled by the burly creature they sprung into action, notching their bows and preparing to leap out of its way.

As the bereskarn continued its blitz, Tamlen brought his bow to bear and drew back an arrow to his cheek. "Andruil, grant that my aim be true." he whispered releasing the projectile, his shot flyingtoward its target.

Apparently the goddess had heard the prayer of one of her most faithful patrons that day, as Tamlen's arrow borrowed itself deep into the breast of the beast. However it was not enough, as the blessing of such a weakened god was not nearly as strong as it was in ancient times.

Howling from pain and rage the tainted bear sprinted the remaining distance between them and reared up raising its claws to maim the one who dared to cause it harm. It brought down its paw to take a swipe a the hunter and put an end to the cause of its new wounds. Tamlen tried to dodge but was a moment too late and step too short. The blow grazed the unfortunate Dalish hunter in the ribs with enough force to send him flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. The creature continued on to ensure its target was truly dead.

But in its state of rage the beast had forgotten one important detail; its adversary was not alone. Lyna gave a roar of desperate rage almost a fierce as the bear's and charged. Taking aim with her own bow she gave one last prayer to Elgar'nan; for the strength either to strike down this one foe who threatened her love, or to avenge his death at its hands. Whether it be luck or that day the old gods truly intervened on behalf of those two lowly mortals, the end result was the same. Her arrow flew into its jaw with enough force to snap its head to the side, producing an audible and greatly satisfying crunch.

Lyna didn't stop though; throwing her bow aside, she grabbed a pair of hunting knives that were tucked between the belt and skirt of her armor, and used her built up momentum to tackle the bear. While by no means a large women, she had gathered enough force to topple the paralyzed, half-dead monster to the ground. The daggers were stabbed into its heart again and again, until it stopped twitching.

Her focus quickly changed to Tamlen, he was still alive if only barely. Had that bear's claw hit a couple inches to the right it would have gone between the seems and gutted him alive. He had been lucky today, no they had gotten lucky today, and by Sylaise he was going to know it once he was healed. Lyna gave a quick player of thanks to Mythal before tending to what wounds she could on her own.

When she had finished there was one more thing to do before she carried Tamlen back to camp so Keeper Marethari could heal him properly. She knelt next to the fallen bereskarn, then slit its throat and cut off the carcasses head for good measure... what could she say, she was a vindictive woman; there was a reason Tamlen would never cheat on her, and it wasn't just faithful integrity. So with that task of revenge complete she started the long trek back to camp with Tamlen on her back.

The walk back to camp was a slow and quiet one as Lyna carried Tamlen's limp body on her back; in her rush to return to the rest of the clan she had forgotten to retrieve what remained of their supplies and equipment. It was simply one more thing that had gone wrong with this hunting trip; no deer, no relics, frightened shems who would no doubt force her people to move again, and now a wounded clansman and lover. Whatever was in there had damn well better be worth it should they be sent back to these ruins at the Keeper's request, because the cost had been far too high thus far.

It didn't take long for a patrol of hunters to spot them as they neared their camp. The lead hunter, Fenarel, began with what was intended to be some good natured jabs at their unexpectedly intimate position, but that soon changed when he saw how bad Tamlen's condition was.

"Lethallan, what happened to Tamlen! Is he okay?", He asked, with the concern over his friends injuries evident in his tone of voice.

"He has been greatly injured, but is not getting any worse at the moment. Go get the Keeper now; we will need her magic." Lyna said, giving a recount of what had happened while they were away.

"And what of yourself?"

"Nothing that can't wait, now get Marethari."

"I will tell her you are coming; Pol, Junar, help Lyna carry Tamlen back to camp while I inform the Keeper." And with that he dashed toward the camp to warn Marethari about the wounded hunter.

The camp was bustling with nervous movement because two of their hunters had returned wounded, one of those gravely. A few of the people who knew them closely approached to try and help, but were quickly dispersed by Marethari. She had come moving through the camp as quickly as her old bones could take her with her first not far behind her. A few locks of silver hair that had been made up into the simple bun she favored had come loose in her hurry. She surveyed Tamlen's injuries and quickly came to a decision as what to do, with her words carrying a tone of patient authority that did wonders to calm the frayed nerves of those assembled.

"Da'len, help Merrill carry Tamlen to my aravel. I believe we will have much to speak about while I heal him."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"If I can heal him in time he stands a chance child; but his wounds are grave, I will make no promises."

As the trio made their way back to the keeper's aravel, Merrill whispered a few worried words to Lyna trying to get a short explanation for the reason of the condition of two of her few and closest friends. It spoke volumes to her that Lyna was so worried that she didn't have some clever remark. At times like these she didn't quite know what to say, what words to give as comfort; but she thanked the gods that she had some kind of power to help. Her musings were cut short as Marethari told them to set Tamlen down on her bed and turned to Merrill.

"Merrill, fetch your medical satchel; we may need the extra supplies," Marethari said as she reached for her own pack, then spoke to Lyna, "You must tell me everything that has happened da'len, leave out no details."

As she continued to prepare her reagents and spells Lyna began her retelling of events; explaining everything that had happened between the day they left camp, to their encounter with the shemlen, location of the ruins and finally the demon's attack. Marethari would only interrupt to clarify a detail she did not understand but otherwise stayed silent through the entire story, though there was a minor interruption when Merrill had returned with her bag. After a few minutes of pensive silence she responded with her thoughts.

"You did well considering the circumstances da'len; there's no way of knowing what would of happened had you and Tamlen tried to continue into those ruins alone. Though I wish you had shown more restraint when dealing with the humans, but..." Marethari sighed, "we can just move the camp ahead of schedule, no need to provoke them any more than necessary. Now onto more important matters, da'len the demon you described sounded like a creature known as a Darkspawn, do you believe that it was the only tainted creature there?"

"I believe so Keeper, but the only way to know for sure would be to return and explore the ruins." replied Lyna.

"No, we almost lost one of our own today and I will not risk another. Darkspawn carry taint within them that infects everything they come in contact with. Pray that Tamlen hasn't become infected. We will be moving the camp away from the human's settlement, and we will need everyone to help until that is done. You and the rest of the clan are forbidden from entering those ruins until the clan is safely settled elsewhere."

Merrill, who had been helping Marethari attend to Tamlen's injuries stopped to protest, "But Keeper, if we don't explore those ruins, then whatever is inside might not be there be the time we are able to return! We could end up losing a valuable part of our past if we let this opportunity pass us by.

"That maybe true da'len, but that place has survived for centuries before we found it, I doubt a few more weeks will make any difference." said the keeper.

"But, Lyna said that there were some human's trying to steal for the ruins; what if they come back while we're away? Please, just one look. I won't take long, I promise and I'll be careful!" Pleaded her First.

"Merrill, I find your dedication to preserving our history admirable; but a Keeper's duty is to protect and guide what remains of our people into the future so that the Dalish may survive. Placing the memories of the dead before the hopes of the living is foolish." Marethari explained to her, "I will not always be here to lead the Sabrae clan and one day this role will become your burden as well. You must understand that the needs of the clan comes before yourself."

"Y-Yes, Keeper." Merrill whispered with a sense of shame.

"Very well, now I believe I have what I need to tend to Tamlen's wounds. The two of you go and tell the rest of the clan to start preparations to move our camp." and with that Keeper Marethari turned away from them to continue her magic in peace as the two young women left her aravel.

The old wooden steps leading down from the keeper's aravel creaked from the stress of the pair's combined weight as they descended to the ground. Even with Marethari's reassurances that she would do everything within her power to mend Tamlen's wounds Lyna could not help but feel worried. Her partner had been hurt and she could do nothing to assist him without getting in the way; what was even worse, she was completely powerless to prevent his injuries in the first place.

Thoughts of "what if's" and "maybe's" clouded her mind as she wondered through the camp fulfilling the task given to her by the keeper. One by one the hahren of her clan were notified of the intent to migrate their camp further north in the Brecilian Forest, possibly even to the Free Marches if whatever Marethari's suspicions about these darkspawn were correct. It wasn't until after they had done the keepers bidding of telling the clan's elders of their planned migration, that Merrill finally shook Lyna from her stupor.

"We have to go explore those ruins, we may not get another chance again." Said Merrill with a firmness in her voice that many did not hear often from her, if at all; it was a clear indication that she had set her mind to a goal and wouldn't stop until she had succeeded.

"Are you insane!" Lyna exclaimed but quickly lowered her voice to avoid attracting unwanted attention, "Didn't you see what happened to Tamlen? He was mauled Merrill, nearly died because of that **thing. **I'm not going to let you just walk into that ruin alone."

"That's excellent, I was worried that you would say no if I had asked. So shall we get going?"

'This girl' Lyna thought, "No Merrill, I'm not letting you go at all."

"I have to go Lyna, we have no way of knowing what's inside those ruins."

"The keeper said it's to dangerous to go Merrill and we have to help move the camp."

"Lyna, that is exactly why we have to go. If there is something that we made, that our people made inside those ruins; then it our duty as Elvhen, and mine as a keeper's first to rescue it for safe keeping. Do you want another to stumble upon that place? For Tamlen's injuries to have been for nothing?"

"That. T-That's not fair Merrill", Lyna said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

"I need to see for myself, what's down there and if it can be mended or at worst destroyed. I need you to come, you're the only person I can trust to help me with this. So please, will you come with me?" Merrill asked, pleading for her friend's support.

"Lyna steeled herself as she responded, for even if she she didn't know it**, **her answer would seal both of their fates that day , "Okay."

The two young women exited their camp quietly, hoping to avoid being caught and forced to explain why they were leaving. Luckily, the hectic preparations to move meant that the pair's disappearance would probably go unnoticed until they had returned from their exploration of the ruins.

Both were heavily armed; with Lyna having exchanged her hunting equipment for the longer blades of a duo of Dar'Misaan, and a powerful war bow with a quiver of broad-headed arrows that were inherited from her mother. Forgoing her usual choice of apparel; Lyna also choose to wear a heavier version of her armor; deciding that some of her dexterity was a fair price for clothing that covered the whole of her body. She would take no chances with this taint that the Keeper had warned them of.

While Merrill, being a mage, had brought an ironbark staff that had been maintained near religiously, to the point that its polish had a mirror's shine, and carried enough medical salves and potions to heal all but the most severe of injuries. She had also dawned the ancient Tevinter Magister robes gifted to her by her birth clan's keeper at the beginning of her apprenticeship to Marethari.

The journey through the forest was a short one, as Lyna already knew the path leading to the ruins. But it had become unnaturally quiet as they neared their destination, not a single bird could be heard singing, leaving the area surrounding the entrance to the cavern far more eerie then Lyna remembered from her last visit.

As the pair traversed into the ruin's entrance, the few remaining stone arches acted as a gateway from the dense foliage of their familiar forest to a forgotten tomb of times long since past. Lyna and Merrill shared a nervous glance before passing into the foyer that marked the beginning of the rest of the ruins.

The hallways, after centuries without maintenance, had fallen into disrepair and the roots of trees had pushed their way through the cracks between the stones, leaving the entire structure with a look of questionable stability. Moving deeper into the catacombs both of the women were struck with a sense of unease by the atmosphere of this place; shadows seemed to lurk everywhere, hiding all manner _of...things_, as the walls pressed down on you in an attempt to break your spirit. The Keeper had been correct, this taint corrupts everything it touches, whether it be a person or place.

Lyna and Merrill continued to make their way into the ruin when they came to a sizable courtroom, deciding to stop for a short break, the duo sat down on one of the many sarcophagi that were alined perpendicular to the walls. While taking the opportunity to rest Lyna saw something that chilled her to her core, dozens of fine silk cocoons adorned the ceiling and walls. As she began to reach for her bow, the shrill crackles of a clutter of giant spiders made themselves known.

This was just not her day.

She sprung into action and brought the war bow up into the firing position, while notching an arrow from her quiver. By the time she had pulled the projectile to her cheek, Merrill had also come into play as she prepared an icy spear with her magics. The world stood still as she aimed between the lead spiders mandibles, and then she released. Merrill however, was not so lucky as her own attack was deflected of the thick carapace of her target.

The distinctive snap of a bow sting being released echoed through the chamber, not a moment later a crunch denoted the death of a spider, Lyna did not give herself the luxury of celebrating as she notched another arrow and drew to her cheek, the cuttle swarming forward, ignoring their fallen.

Lyna released arrow after arrow, some imbedding themselves in between joints of the spiders carapace, other glancing uselessly off their thick hides. She pulled fetching to cheek and fired into the leg joint of one of the largest spiders, her skill with the bow would not be enough to turn back the tide.

However, she did not need to, her job was to slow them down.

Not a moment too soon, Merrill finished her spell, screaming the last word of her incantation she made a slashing motion with her stave, causing an incandescent wall to spring from the floor. The heat it released enough to make them break into a sweat and cause their clothes to smoke.

The Cuttle recoiled from the flames, the wall of flames enough to slow down the tide, but the press of bodies too much for the front line. The spider Lyna had wounded but moments before crashed through the flames, its jaws snapping, a viscous liquid dripping from them.

Lyna took the spider's charge head on, stopping its jaws with her bow, the sheer mass of the spider sending her to the floor, the spider's pincers snapping repeatedly a mere inch from her face, droplets of liquid numbing her skin where they fell. She put her legs on the spider's belly, and used all of her body to heave, sending the arachnid end over end until it impacted a wall, it then landed on its back, unable to right itself.

Lyna rose from the floor, wiping some of the spider's venom off her cheek she drew her Dar'Misaan blades and prepared to meet her next foe, she would have to take the earliest opportunity to ensure her bow had not been damaged. The cuttle had been forced into a standstill thanks to the incandescent wall, which even now was loosing strength.

One of the smaller spiders dared the flames, crashing through them in an attempt to get to Merrill who was frozen as she cast her next spell.

It never reached her, Lyna's blades taking off three of its legs before she imbedded them tip first into its head, the spider twitched uselessly for a moment before laying still.

Merrill finished her spell a moment later, sending a fireball into the densest part of the cuttle, where it exploded upon contact with one of them, obliterating it completely, the sudden change in pressure and temperature caused the carapace of the two spiders closest to ground zero to explode into gory chunks as their flesh flash cooked.

The rest of the spider's had had enough, and responding to some unseen call, began to retreat back into the darkness from whence they came.

The two girls decided that moving on would likely be wise, and so set off deeper into the cavern towards their destination, Lyna fuzzing over her bow, attempting to see if the spider had caused any damage to the wood of her precious tool.

Lyna was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, some higher power was giving her a very blunt message to stop while they were ahead; or maybe it was just Fen'Harel having a laugh at their expense.

The fact that several very dangerous and nasty traps still worked after gods knew how long made her believe the latter. Seriously, after a few centuries you would think that the poisonous components of that pressure plate trap would have lost their potency.

They eventually made their way to the deepest level of the ruin and found themselves in a circular antechamber with an enormous ornate mirror at it's center. The pair was awestruck by this, never expecting to find such a valuable artifact at their little adventure. Merrill was enraptured as she slowly closed the distance to the ornamental mirror refusing to blink; as if afraid that the object would vanish, that it was naught but a mirage. As she neared the podium that held the mirror, upon it she recoiled as if touched by a hot iron.

"What is it! Is something wrong?" Lyna asked.

"The Eluvian has been tainted by the same corruption as those creatures from before."

"Then it should be destroyed." Lyna said, with a tone of disgust in her voice as she reached for her sword.

"Wait! Wait, Lyna! I can fix this, I'm sure I can." Merrill pleaded

"Merrill, you heard how dangerous the keeper said the taint was. If even she had trouble healing its effects then you may not be able to do the same."

"Just give me a moment, if I can't, then you can destroy it. But think of it Lyna, this is a valuable part of our history. This didn't come from the Dales Lyna, this is an Eluvian, a "looking glass" in our old tongue. It was made in Arlathan Lyna, Arlathan; to communicate over vast distances, imagine what we could discover from its secrets!"

"...One chance, you have one chance to fix this. If you can't, I destroy it. Are we clear?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I won't forget this Lyna, I definitely won't fail." Merrill squealed in delight.

Once the young mage had finished composing herself she stepped before the mirror as she raised her hand. Mana began to course through her body as she collected the ambient mana around her and tapped into her own inner stores as she chanted. Then her eyes snapped open in horror as she pressed her hand against the ancient elven looking glass.

The room disappeared into an explosion of light that reflected every color imaginable not a moment later.

emma da'asha, you are my daughter in all but blood

Lethallan- Casual reference used for someone with whom one is familiar. Akin to "cousin" or "clansman" since "lin" is the word for blood.(feminine form)

da'assan- little arrow, term of endearment

bor'assan- bow

hahren- Elder. Used as a term of respect by the Dalish.

Emma lath, ma'arlath- my heart, I love you

Durgen'len- Children of the Stone/ Dwarves

vhenan'ara- heart's desire

Andruil- Andruil is the elven goddess of the hunt, creator of the _Vir Tanadahl_ or Way of Three Trees.

Elgar'nan- Elgar'nan, the All-Father, represents fatherhood and vengeance, and leads the pantheon with the goddess Mythal. Most elves will invoke Elgar'nan's name when they need to destroy something.

Sylaise- the Hearthkeeper, is seen as the sister of Andruil the Huntress. Sylvaise gave the elves fire , taught them how to weave, use herbs and magic for healing purposes.

Da'len- My Child

Elvhen- "Our People". Elven name for their own race.

Dar'Misaan- A simple, curved longsword that has a loose semblance of a fang or a claw, used by the Dalish warriors.

Fen'Harel- The Dread Wolf

Eluvian- An elven "Looking Glass", used for communication.


End file.
